Bianca Tarboton became the first athlete in the history of the Otter African Trail Run to win the title on four occasions, her record-breaking victory stealing the show in this morning’s (Saturday 4 October) Otter TERREX Trail, presented by Easy Equities.
In the absence of race-long competition from the top women in the field, Tarboton mixed it with the elite men, finishing 6th overall. Her outstanding 4 hrs 30 min 55 sec improved her own 2021 record for the ‘classic’ east to west trail marathon between Storms River and Nature’s Valley by almost 15 minutes and was notably 2 min 31 sec inside her compatriot and adidas TERREX teammate, Toni McCann’s record for the west to east ‘Retto’ race.
Scotland’s Robbie Simpson became the first male athlete to win three in a row when he raced across the Groot River Estuary in Nature’s Valley to cross the finish line in 4:04:59, more than 7 minutes faster than his previous best in 2023.
Simpson finished 7 min 24 sec ahead of second-placed Robbie Rorich, who narrowly held off a fast-finishing Kane Reilly, who bagged an unprecedented 9th podium finish and 12th top five position at the Otter.
The eagerly awaited contest between South Africa’s world-class female trail athletes, McCann and Tarboton, took a dramatic turn just 7km into the race when McCann, running just ahead of Tarboton at that stage, turned over her ankle, badly enough to end her race.
In less than two months McCann has ridden a trail-rollercoaster, a bad fall in the UTMB CCC 100km ending her title defence in late August, before a bounce-back victory over a mountainous 27km Sky Run in France proved a tonic ahead of her return to race Otter.
Like Tarboton, McCann has an enviable record at the Otter, having twice won the Retto and once the Classic, with a victory over Tarboton in the 2020 ‘COVID’ the only previous occasion the two had raced Otter together.
“Not how I imagined this day to go,” posted McCann on social media. “Heartbroken to be ending my season like this.
“Thank you to everyone who stopped to check if I was okay, the event organisers for being amazing at getting me out, and my mom for being there to hug me at the end.
“This sport has tested me hugely this year. Time to reflect, heal and come back stronger next year.”
But today was all about Tarboton, whose superb victory added to her stellar year, following her win in the Tarawera 45km in New Zealand in February and her second position to Kenyan Faith Kiplagat in the Mont Blanc 23km in July.
Never one for hyperbole, Tarboton was her usual down-to-earth self after the race. “Yes I’m happy and felt it was quite good, even though I felt nauseous for much of the race. But I felt in control and pretty confident I could do a good race today.
“I’ve increased my training volume after my injury earlier this year, having seen the benefit of a second session most days and I felt well-prepared. I’ve paid a lot more attention to the mental side of the sport and did a lot of work with a psychologist in the lead up to the race.”
Tarboton was the first to come across McCann after she fell. “I ran with Toni for most of the first 7km,” she explained. “I didn’t see her fall – she was just ahead of me then – but I stopped to see if she was alright. She said ‘no’ but that there was nothing I could do to help.
“I told her I’d notify the race officials, who I knew were at the (Kleinbos) river crossing just ahead, which I did.”
Ironically, Tarboton had warned of the dangers of an ankle-roll in a pre-race video. ‘It’s really technical so you don’t want to roll your ankle as that will obviously ruin the rest of the race for you’ Tarboton had said.
Medals are colour-coded at the Otter, designating time targets achieved. Thirteen women have achieved the sub-5 hour purple medal in the 17 year history of the race but none have yet won the sub-4:30 black.
It was so close. Tarboton hadn’t realised just how close. “I was so miffed to miss the 4:30 medal. In the final kilometres I thought I was about five minutes off but in the end it was less than a minute!”
Tarboton’s total earnings of R190 000, including R100 000 for the win and a bonus R90 000 for taking both the South African and overall race records, will no doubt provide solace at missing the ‘impossible’ sub-4:30 time which she will surely achieve in the not too distant future.
The women’s race was over as a contest after McCann’s fall, with Tarboton moving increasingly further away from the rest of the field. She held a 19-minute lead over Knysna athlete, Rebecca Watney, through halfway at the Oakhurst Huts and she doubled that over the second half.
Watney crossed the line in 5:09:08 to replicate last year’s second-placed finish behind Tarboton in her fastest time on the Classic route and her fourth top five position overall.
Former international mountain bike star, Robyn de Groot, ran impressively in her debut at the Otter, the 42-year-old from George finishing third in 5:35:18.
After two challenging wins at the Otter, Simpson was finally able to enjoy his outing along the famed hiking trail through the Tsitsikamma Forest, coming into his own in the second half of the race to record an emphatic victory.
In 2023 it was too close for comfort, with Simpson finishing less than two minutes clear of a fast-finishing Reilly and last year a combination of running off the trail for several minutes and the exceptionally warm conditions left the Scot exhausted, rather than elated, at the finish.
But today was different and Simpson was able to savour the beauty and wild nature of the Otter TERREX Trail. “It’s really unique, the course being as wild as it is. It’s not like you can just drive here on a Sunday morning and run the whole thing with your mates every weekend. It’s a very special course that’s a privilege to run on.
“I enjoyed this one a lot more, having a stronger run and feeling better than the last two years, pretty much all the way,” Simpson continued. “Conditions were great with dry conditions and it was not too hot, apart from the last hour.
“In the first half, the four of us were quite close together. I was in front most of the way although I had to catch up after some of the technical sections. I managed to pull away quite well on the final 10km and felt good at the end so was really happy.”
Rorich again used his technical skills to gain an early advantage over the rocks in the first kilometres to the Waterfall, but Simpson hit back and was 40 seconds clear of Reilly through Scott Hut 8km into the race, with German athlete Marcel Hoeche in third, a minute clear of Rorich.
Competition was tight and just 100 seconds separated the top four through Oakhurst, Simpson just 30 seconds up on Reilly with Hoeche and Rorich retaining 3rd and 4th.
Clearly enjoying nutritional benefits from the ‘Munchie Point’ aid station at halfway, Rorich upped his game, moving into second position and drawing level with Simpson after 24km.
“We greeted each other, but that was the extent of our conversation,” Rorich recounted. “He (Simpson) immediately surged away and I never saw him again until the finish.”
As strongly as Rorich was running, he was also struggling with cramps. “I’ve never before experienced them this early in a race – my hamstrings began to cramp from 10km then later my calves and quads joined in,” Rorich explained.
“This was likely caused by my not training correctly, but I was pleased that I was able to keep going to the finish.”
Just 70 seconds separated the Robbies through the Bloukrans River, 13km from home, but Simpson increased the lead to 84 seconds through the final check point at Andre Hut with Reilly a further 70 seconds back in third.
Simpson was in cruise control over the final 10km, striding out at pace along the cliff top and down to the beach at Nature’s Valley, before turning up through the dune forest towards the finish across a floating corridor over the Groot River Lagoon.
Rorich and Reilly shared the minor podium positions for the third time in the Otter’s history, Rorich finishing second for the first time. Reilly and Rorich had taken second and third positions respectively in 2017 and 2022.
Spare a thought for Hoeche, who narrowly failed in his attempt to remedy a past disappointment. “I’ve got this ‘non-podium’ situation from a few years ago,” the German had joked before the race in reference to his 4th position in 2023. “So I’ll see if I can keep my legs fresh and fix that situation.”
But it was 4th again, this time just 2 min 22sec separating him from Reilly in third, with last year’s runner-up, Jacques Buys, taking fifth.
Results (RSA unless otherwise indicated)
